The Regulations on the Management of Domestic Waste in Shanghai will come into effect on July 1. The Regulations stipulate that "catering services and distribution services shall not provide disposable tableware on their own initiative".
Regulations triggered heated discussion among netizens. Some netizens suggested that the new regulations would be inconvenient for office workers, and some citizens approved the regulations.
(Beijing News, June 23) In real life, whether customers go to restaurants or order takeaway online, restaurants generally offer disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware on their own initiative.
Although it is convenient for restaurants and customers to throw away tableware without cleaning after meals, it is obvious that it not only wastes enormous resources, but also creates a large amount of domestic waste in the city, causing environmental and health problems.
Statistics show that as early as 2013, more than 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks were produced annually in China, which is equivalent to cutting down 20 million giant trees growing for 20 years.
Shanghai Legislation stipulates that restaurants should not offer disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware to customers on their own initiative, and provide punishment mechanisms.
This obviously helps to reduce the use of disposable tableware, reduce the waste and pollution of disposable tableware, in line with the trend and requirements of low-carbon environmental protection and green life.
From the point of view of life needs, disposable chopsticks and spoons are not necessaries. Customers can completely own recycled chopsticks, spoons and other tableware. They only need to clean themselves, which is not too troublesome.
From this point of view, it is necessary that Shanghai legislation prohibits restaurants from offering disposable tableware to customers voluntarily, and that restaurants should be prohibited from offering disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware voluntarily from the top design level.
But the key problem is to avoid the embarrassment of banning disposable chopsticks to repeat the "plastic restriction order" and turn it into a "dead letter".
This requires restaurants to provide recyclable tableware to ensure hygiene and safety, so that customers can use it at ease.
Many people go to restaurants to eat, preferring to use disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware, rather than recyclable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware, or even customers because restaurants do not provide disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware and choose to vote with their feet.
In the final analysis, the main reason is that people are not confident about the recyclable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware provided by restaurants, and feel that they are not hygienic and safe enough.
Because many restaurants in order to save costs, the tableware disinfector in the shop is basically furnished, rarely used normally.
Moreover, many restaurants provide recyclable chopsticks, spoons and other utensils that are often not clean, sometimes directly visible to the naked eye.
Comparatively speaking, disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware may be bleached with sulphur. The sulphur dioxide residue above is excessive and harmful to human body, but it is generally difficult for customers to see through the naked eye, which can satisfy the customers'mentality of "not seeing is net".
Therefore, after forbidding restaurants to offer disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware on their own initiative, market supervision departments must strengthen supervision over the hygiene and safety of recyclable tableware in catering enterprises, forcing them to increase manpower, invest in cleaning and disinfecting recyclable tableware, so as to ensure the safety and hygiene of recyclable tableware and dispel their concerns. Customers'Unassured Psychology of Recyclable Tableware
Only when customers are at ease and bold in using recyclable tableware can they guide the public to refuse to use disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware.
Otherwise, everything will become empty talk.
Because whether or not restaurants offer disposable chopsticks, spoons and other utensils on their own initiative, the final choice is in the hands of customers.